Hold the Sun Tea: Our Favorite Mason-Jar Hacks

The Mason jar has proven itself to be a versatile piece of design. It's currently enjoying some attention as the beverage-bearer du jour among the nation's artisanal set. Haters might wonder why hipsters can't just leave the jars for jelly, and with the number of Mason jar-themed art projects, they may have a point. But techies have also gotten hip to the jar's hackability, and the wide threads on the screw-top mouth allow it to easily accommodate an array of accoutrements.

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French Press

But, maybe you aren't in a rush to get to work. In that case, you might prefer this Mason jar French press. From the land of eternal brunch, The Portland Press is going to run you $100, and may feel like overkill, especially if you can get a perfectly functional, plastic press for $20. But, the Hardrock Maple is strong and beautiful, and the wool cozy makes it look like it has a beard. Plus, it might save you money in the long run. If you've had a French press, then you've also probably had a broken French press. With this thing, a morning catastrophe is solved by reaching up in the cupboard for a new Mason jar.

Laptop Speakers

We've talked about speaker jars before, but BootsNGus bring a little more noise to the party by making the speakers a stereo pair. Each speaker packs a keyboard-rattling 2 watts, which is great for your morning get-ready-for-work ritual/dance party. However, BootsNGus have drilled a hole in the bottom, so you're screwed if you come up short for containers in your next pickling project.

Pour-Over Coffee

Beverages have seemingly surpassed fresh jams as the most common inhabitants of Mason jars. And because coffee is the king of all beverages, it's a ripe subject for innovations in brewing. This Chemex-style pour over made by the creationistas at Intelligent Design makes taking your coffee to go a more attractive option. What's that you say? This is a one way ticket to burning the hell out of your hands? Well, ID also offers a hand-knit cozy, and something called a bota that's like a sling for Mason jars. So slap on a sippy top, clip the bota to your belt loop, hop on your fixie and ignore everyone snorting at you on your way to work.

Photo: Courtesy Intelligent Design

Battery

Bad ass science alert: You can use a Mason jar to make electricity. The process, called electrolysis, separates the hydrogen from oxygen in water, turning both into combustible fuel. Building the electrolyzer is relatively simple, and only requires a trip to the hardware store and a couple hours work. Then what? Well, then you can use the hydrogen and oxygen as fuel additives for the generators in your backwoods survivalist hideout. Warning, this is not for noobs, and there are a lot of ways to hurt yourself. For instance, the process requires lye, and we all know what happens when you use lye.

Photo: Courtesy Water4Gas

Blender

Katie over at NorthWest Edible swears this trick will blow your mind: A Mason jar will thread perfectly onto most blenders. My head definitely ached the morning after I tried this, but it probably had more to do with what I was making in the blender than the thrill of discovery. However, there is no doubt that this marriage of forms is a classic example of serendipity. My only regret is that I didn't learn about this earlier in the summer.

Beehive

This handy mod from the DIY wizards at Remove and Replace takes out the middleman in your urban honey-making enterprise. With some elementary carpentry, you can throw together a nice topper to your bee box. As a bonus, it lets you watch the bees make the honey. Once it's all done, put a top on it and head to your local farmer's market.

Mousetrap

Looking to get rid of the mice scampering in your kitchen, but worried you might be killing Bernard and Miss Bianca? Help the little rescuers reach Penny with this vintage DIY mouse trap modification. While this picture looks like something you'd see on a scare-tactic PETA poster, some of the patent drawings on BoxVox's blog are downright adorable. You could make a nice day of catching mice, driving out to the country to release them, and enjoying some nice lemonade in a field afterwards. Just make sure you label the jar that had the mouse.

Bong

Inevitably, somebody went ahead and turned the Mason Jar into a bong. And inevitably, it came from reddit. Of course, Wired doesn't review drug paraphernalia, but the commenters on the trees subreddit (ProTip: Trees is slang for marijuana) seem pretty enthusiastic about this mod, and they ensure us that it has a good "chug." Whatever that means.